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Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics: Striving Towards The True Good

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Striving Towards the True Good Throughout all these readings I have come to understand, that the basic key to Aristotle’s philosophy was achieving eudemonia or in other words, true happiness. Within the text of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle goes on to explain how the aim of life is to reach the highest good. Aristotle explains how being good at something for example guitar playing would not necessarily make you virtuous, because that person may have a wretched personality that makes him a bad or unvirtuous person. Aristotle states you achieve happiness in many sorts of ways such as carpenters building a home, or an architect designing a building. Happiness relates to virtue because in order to be happy one must live a virtuous life by living in accordance to the given mean such as studying for a test although there is a party that night.
Within Book II he explains how there are certain conditions which must be met in order for actions to be virtuous such as actions done knowingly, chosen for their own sake, they arise from a steady state of the soul, and they arise from a steady state of the character itself. For example one can not only make a courageous act thinking “s/he” will benefit from the action, they must do it because it will make them feel happy. Aristotle states that friendships …show more content…

He certainly pointed out the major keys which he explained that virtue consisted of aiming towards true happiness and happiness is obtained by friendships which happen to benefit in such a way that virtue becomes easier to achieve. I realized that by continuing to practice my temperance virtue I will certainly gain a lot more out of life in the future rather then be hung up in the

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Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Book ll, is about his idea of how people should live a virtuous life. Throughout this book, he explains that humans learn virtue from instructions and we learn virtue from practice too. Virtue is something that is very important because it is a moral habit that results in keeping our moral values. Aristotle believed that nobody is born with virtue, everyone has to work at it daily. After reading Nicomachean ethics, Book ll, my main conclusion of it is that us as humans are better off being virtuous than simply doing what we feel like doing at any moment in time.

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Thus, when human function is done well, it is in accordance with virtue and best human life is achieved. In addition, it can be inferred that since Aristotle’s definition of happiness is to be virtuous, performing rational activity well can lead to happiness. In addition, Aristotle states, “if there are more than one virtue, in accordance with the best and most complete” (1098a18). This means that eventually there will be one virtue that is inclusive of all virtue and that displays an end, and this virtue will be in line with the self-sufficient and inclusive concept of happiness as the chief good. If this inclusive virtue and good is achieved, ultimate happiness will be achieved as well.

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In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle discusses a variety of subjects in order to find virtue and moral character. One of the virtues that Aristotle defines is friendship. Aristotle believes that there are different types of friendship; that of utility, pleasure, and virtue. Aristotle describes a friendship of utility as easily dissolved.

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It is critical to recognize Mill’s argument that a degree of contentment can exist in periods of less happiness. However, Aristotle’s view of perceiving wellbeing or goodness as ultimate is more pronounced. Worth emphasizing, Aristotle deeply explores his arguments basing them on functions of a rational man and virtues out of habits. Today, a virtuous citizen is one whose actions are inward, in response to conscience and moral obligations as a member of society. Such a person, not waivered with intensities of pleasures, honor, and wealth but seeks to have a satisfactory level of happiness with friends, co-workers, and family among other

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In order to do this, we need to 'know thyself ' and become as learned as we can, knowing the good for all, while also being humble. We are all naturally good people, so we must promote the good in the world. According to Aristotle, however, happiness, his goal for all humans is not that easy to obtain. He claims that "happiness is a certain sort of activity of the soul in accord with virtue (Aristotle, p.12). On the Aristotelian model of how to obtain happiness, it deals a great deal with the issue of particulars.

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In short knowing and doing are in the same line. In knowing the truth your virtues will ultimately be guided by this knowledge. The “telos” or ultimate goal of human life for Aristotle is to attain “happiness”. “Happiness” here is does not mean the common meaning which we use everyday but it is more synonymous to the war “eudaimonia” which means to be in a state of being that is in good spirit. This emphasis that happiness is not just a temporary thing but a permanent outlook on life which means that they only way for us to truly know whether we have had a happy life is when we die.

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